Croplife Ghana

"CropLife Ghana is the association of agrochemical importers and distributors in Ghana. It is currently made up of 16 major agrochemical companies and counting. CropLife Ghana controls about 90% of the fertilizer market as well as about 75% of the crop protection product (CPP) market."

Wednesday, 22 February 2017

The Spray Service Provider (SSP) Concept of CropLife

A Spray Service Provider (SSP) is a farmer
who has received special training to apply pesticides, is directly linked to a
member companies and who hires out his services to (fellow) farmers to spray
their lands.This implies that untrained farmers will no longer handle
pesticides, and that this application will only be undertaken by those who are
properly trained and certified. CropLife Africa Middle East has developed the
SSP concept to improve access to quality pesticides and the correct application
of these, resulting in higher yields.

Pesticides can control pests and weeds that destroy
crops, if used correctly. The use of pesticides on the African continent is extremely low when compared
to the developed world. An important reason for the low use of agro inputs is that the input supply
systems are inefficient and underdeveloped. It is therefore difficult to get good quality pesticides on time
at a fair price, especially in remote rural areas. Added to the limited access
to agro inputs, there are several challenges related to pesticides in Africa,
including the irresponsible use of these products, the
inability to deal with hazardous waste including obsolete pesticides, the sales
of counterfeit and illegal products, and the use of children and pregnant women
in the handling of pesticides.

There is a need to improve the accessibility of good
quality agro inputs in the agricultural sector in Africa and increase the safe and responsible use of
pesticides. As observed in other countries, it is not enough to train agro
dealers and simply link them to farmers. Although accessibility to agro inputs
may increase, it will create problems concerning application, storage,
transport and disposal. Because it is virtually impossible to train all farmers in pesticide and
fertilizer application, CropLife Africa Middle East has developed a concept to
establish a network of Spray Service Providers and create linkages between agro dealers and farmers directly or via SSPs.

When pesticides are only handled by those that
are trained, the risk towards human health and the environment is greatly reduced, the correct
pesticides are used at the correct time and rate thus ensuring efficient and effective control of pest and
diseases, therefore increasing yields. The dosage of the products used will be
correct, the purchase of pesticides will be better planned so less obsolete
pesticides will accumulate, and empty pesticide containers will be triple
rinsed, punctured and collected leading to possible container management schemes. Most of
the advantages are also valid for the application of fertilizer. Therefore, an established network of
Spray Service Providers will be highly beneficial.

Activities

The SSP concept is not just simply training
farmers to become SSPs; the SSP concept consists of several activities, including:

1. Training of SSP trainers

2. Selection of potential SSPs and awareness
creation in the community

3. Training of SSPs

4. Linking SSPs to member companies of the
national CropLife association

5. Equipping SSPs

6. Promoting activities of SSPs

7. Monitoring and coaching of SSPs

Step
1: Training of SSP trainers

The training of SSP trainers is the first step in
setting up a pool of Spray Service Providers. A regional

CropLife Africa Middle East trainer will train
field officers of member companies of the national CropLife

farmers or others to become SSPs. The potential
trainer needs to have a thorough knowledge on pesticides and this knowledge is tested with a written and
practical test.

Step 2: Selection of potential SSPs and
awareness creation in the community

Before the SSP trainers start on the training of
farmers to become SSPs, it is crucial to select the right

farmers. From experience in several SSP projects
in different African countries, it has been observed that a wrong selection of
participants guarantees the failure of the project. Therefore, a list with
selection criteria has been developed. To select the right farmers, visits will
be made to the communities by the national CropLife association, in
collaboration with the partner, to clearly explain to them and informal
leaders, interested farmers, extension and other stakeholders, the SSP concept.
In addition, during the meeting, the selection criteria are clearly explained.

Step
3: Training of SSPs

The selected farmer will follow a 4-day training
program that includes topics on pests and pesticides,

responsible use, and the application of
pesticides. At the end of the program, each participant will

undertake a written and application test to
evaluate if he is capable of doing the work required of an SSP. Only those participants that succeed in both
tests, will be officially approved as an SSP by the national CropLife association for a period of two years.
Each approved SSP will receive an Identity Card which states the period of
certification so farmers can easily recognize if someone is still certified or
not. When the period expires, the SSP needs to undergo a refresher course to
obtain reapproved.

The most active SSPs will be offered a one-day
business training in which they learn how to actively approach clients, how to calculate their price
and how to plan their spraying activities according to the season. More experienced SSPs are offered a course
in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). All programs are facilitated using the training manuals
developed by CropLife Africa Middle East.

Farmers will have the freedom to select their own
SSP and change if they are not satisfied with the services they receive. This
encourages competition among SSPs to deliver good service. Farmers will
negotiate a price directly with the SSP.

Step
4: Linking SSPs to member companies of the national CropLife association

Each SSP will be linked directly to field
officers of member companies to ensure access to good quality pesticides. It has been observed in previous SSP
projects that as the trust between SSPs and farmers develop, more and more farmers will rely on the
SSPs to purchase the pesticides. The linkage between SSPs and member companies
will also ensure that SSPs can at any time can contact field officers in case
of questions or challenges with specific products.

Step
5: Equipping SSPs

Each SSP will receive a full set of Personal
Protective Equipment, consisting of an overall, gloves, boots, hat, mask and
goggles. Besides this, they will get their ID card and a ledger in which
records are kept on their application activities. The records are checked on a
regular basis and farmers are interviewed to check their satisfaction with the
services of the SSPs. In some projects, SSPs also receive knapsack sprayers
and/or bicycles to meet their work obligations

Step
6: Promoting activities of SSPs

To make farmers aware of the services of the SSPs
and the benefits obtained, these will be promoted. From experience it has been
observed that the most effective way to promote these services, is to organize
a graduation ceremony at which each SSP receives his ID card and set of PPE.
The ceremony is normally organized in the community and all stakeholders are
invited. During the ceremony the SSPs are officially introduced to the farmers
of the community. To give the ceremony extra weight and to increase the confidence
in SSPs by farmers, a government official could be invited to hand over the
equipment and ID card.

Other ways to promote SSP activities are by
broadcasting radio jingles via rural radio stations, participating in radio
talk show, and the printing of posters and banners.

Step
7: Monitoring and coaching of SSPs

Having given each SSP a 4-day training and then
expecting them to will apply their new knowledge and

skills perfectly is wishful thinking. Therefore,
after the initial training, SSPs are monitored and coached in the field by staff of the national CropLife association
and member companies. Field visits are conducted regularly to ensure a continuous contact with the
SSPs. The national CropLife association keeps a close eye on all activities and
collects data on how many farmers made use of the services of SSPs, crops that
were treated, acreages sprayed, products applied, etc.

Sustainability

The key to success and sustainability of the
concept is the direct involvement of the private sector through the
establishment of a profitable business for SSPs and member companies. The SSP
concept depends largely on stimulating market forces by linking the demand for
pesticides and the application of these to the supply source. From the onset of
the program, suppliers of pesticides need to invest in these linkages if they plan
to participate in the project. In addition, farmers need to pay for the
services of SSPs without subsidies.

CropLife was established more than 10 years ago
in Africa and has activities in more than 40 African countries. CropLife has developed a good methodology
to train trainers in technical aspects of pesticides, including responsible use, Integrated Pest
Management (IPM), and anti-counterfeiting of illegal pesticides. As
representatives of the plant science industry, it has immediate access to the
latest technologies with regards to pesticides, regulations, etc. In addition,
because the private sector is constantly involved in activities that benefit
the sector, all undertakings are sustainable, opposite to projects that
implement activities for a limited period only. The SSP concept was
successfully introduced in Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria for cocoa
and other crops, in Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya in horticulture, in Malawi for cotton,
in Madagascar for rice, in Uganda for several crops, and in Zambia for maize.

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CropLife acts as an ambassador for the plant science industry, encouraging understanding and dialogue whilst promoting sound science and agricultural technology in the context of sustainable development